Les Running Misérables

Following a 16 mile run on June 10, I start having some pain on the bottom of my right foot.  A few days later it has not gone away and I end up at the doctor (I choose a Filipino woman who is specialized in sports medicine and is herself a marathon runner).  A few tests later I am diagnosed with a pre-stress fracture.  That is not quite a stress fracture, but if I keep running it will likely become one.  The treatment is basically the same as a fracture.  4 weeks down :-(

Every time I am off my feet I am miserable.  I feel I will get lazy and never go back to running.  I feel like a sloth, dragging my body through the day.  After four weeks, my doctor allows me to go back to light-duty running.  For the next 14 days I can run for 20 minutes three times per week.

You'd think I'd be static to go back to running, but somehow it is not quite happening.  For sure I do lace up and the first week squeeze every minute out of my 20 prescribed, but I don't seem to get the pleasure I used to.  The second week I do just two our of my three possible runs.  What's happening?  Did I loose my appetite for running?

After two weeks I am supposed to see my doctor again to learn how far I can run, but I've had no pain for over four weeks. I opt to skip the consultation and self prescribe a long run.  This morning I run 11.88 miles in 1:50:32 and just a few miles into my run I feel the love back (the love for the run, that is. It is a tad late for my usual Sunday run (7:00AM) and very hot and humid (80 and 70%) and should be a miserable run.  I think precisely because it is, I love it.

As I do my last few miles I realize I am not a runner as I used to think, I am a long-distance-runner.   Everything starts making sense.  When not injures, I run 5 days a week, but four out of those runs are under 6 miles, often even under 5.  I could not care less about those.  I simply run those in preparation for my long Sunday run.  That is the one that's worth my time.  It is not the endorphins or the running high I seek.  It s the misery of the long run.  The numbness of the mind that only a long, monotonous run can produce.  I realize I have joined the ranks of Les Running Misérables.

Paradoxically, I am miserable in my short runs because they don't do much for me, but it is the long miserable run on Sunday that gives me pleasure.  It is that realization that also give me pleasure.  We live and we learn.  We age and get more complex.  We add layers.  And the process of peeling those layers and discovering who we are makes us more human.  I am eager to keep exploring.  Bring it on!

Raining outside, raining inside - A tale of two PRs

One of our reasons to visit Milan was running the Milano City Marathon.  Sharon is patient enough to allow us to schedule vacations around fun marathons... bless her heart.  This one was totally worth it.  The race started outside the city and winded its way downtown to the city center.  For me there perfect conditions.  Temperature in the 50s and non-stop rain (without rain I would have rather a temperature in the 40s).  

My previous PR was at Twin Cities in 2009, when it also rained.  Rain has a cooling effect on me.  It keeps me from overheating.  Sure, I rather run with dry shoes but all an all the wet shoes don;t bother me that much.  It is only 4 hours anyway.  Back in 2009, I broke (smashed) 4 hours by running the 26.2 in 3:51:49.  The next few (dry) marathons produced results just under 4 hours or well over that time.  As a result I thought that that was the best PR I was going to reach and decided to relax and run my races for fun, not trying to beat that time.

The cool/wet weather in Milan proved just the formula I needed.  The rain was constant but not drenching.  I made it to the half marathon mark with pretty dry shoes since I managed to avoid all puddles.  Unfortunately, the chip-timed race had a checkpoint right at the half-marathon mark that was completely under water (almost a foot deep) which made all my Italian counterparts shout things against "l'organizzazione!".  

Depending on the weather, I start feeling the weight of the race somewhere between mile 16 and mile 19.  By the time I reached mile 20 in Milan I felt great.  By mile 22 I already knew I was going to hit a PR, the question was by how much.  I crossed the finish line at 3:47:23, over 5 minutes better than my previous best time.  That seemed to confirm, if I want a good time, a PR, it needs to rain.    

Then came May.  Just under a month after Milan, I find myself running a new race.  This time it is the Lake Wobegon Marathon in St Joseph MN (just outside St Cloud).  At the start of the race, I already know I am not going to do well.  It is a bright sunny day (not only heat bothers me while running, I am not crazy about the sun either), temperature in the 60s (20 degrees over my ideal temp) and the course doe snot seem particularly interesting (rails to trail sort of course with long stretches and not much of a view).  

I start running with the 8:35 pace group.  I have done that before.  The plan is to keep up with them until the half mark or a little later and then start falling behind.  Since I run with my own Gatorade, I usually get a little ahead of the pacing groups at the water stations, but then let them catch up.

During this race, since I have low expectations, I am trying two new things.  One is shortening my stride a bit.  not during the entire race, but in little bursts here and there.  I select music with a quicker beat and try to match the beat with my pace by taking faster, shorter steps.

The second change is the amount of Gatorade I am going to drink.  I used to run a marathon on a single 20 oz bottle and in the last couple of years I upped that to two.  This time, sip by sip, I decided to drink more frequently (by the time I had crossed the finish line I had probably drank somewhere between 4 and 5 of them (through refills).

By the time I hit the half marathon mark I feel great.  In fact, me and the guy in the red shirt in the picture (who has been shadowing me for a while) start to peel off from the pacing group.  I am thinking they will probably end up catching up to me, but why not try.

Much to my surprise I hit mile 19, 20, 21 and I feel little no no exhaustion.  My legs are responding (although I can feel cramping building up), my lungs have a rhythmic pace, my back and neck are relaxed.  I am thinking I can keep running to the end (none of the usual walking breaks that start at mile 19 or 20).  By mile 24 I am dumfounded.  I am going to hit another PR!  On a hot day!  Without rain?!?  It has got to be the extra Gatorade, the rain inside!  

I cross the finish line at 3:41:22.  Over 6 minutes over over my earlier PR a month earlier that was already 5 minutes over the one before that I thought I'd never pass.  I am thrilled!  An awesome achievement I celebrate with four slices of pizza.  Yeah, the flat course helped, but there may be some magic on that course.  

Two things are clear, I will continue to try my two changes, and will not say anymore things like "oh yeah, I won;t hit that time again!"

Gold Medal Challenge - Part II

Last Sunday was part two of the Gold Medal Challenge part of the Icebreaker Half Marathon and Marathon at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, WI.  Earning the gold medal required running the half on Saturday and then the full on Sunday.  You also got the bronze for the half and the silver for the full, so running both races nets you three medals.  For those addicted to the metal as I am, a pretty good deal, even if it requires a 11 hour drive round trip (the last 3 hours in icy rain).

Anyway, having spent the last night having dinner at the very terrific Christie's Bar & Grill, I got up early and headed to the Olympic facility where the event takes place. The race started at 8:00AM after a beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by a local singer.  

One of the laps around the ice
skating ring during the Marathon

There isn't much to add about the full that was not mentioned on the blog entry for the half.  Basically the same terrain and temperature controlled weather, just twice the length (96 laps).  I will add that this was my third (out of 17 marathons) in which I did not take a walking step.  Running end to end is easy when there are no uphills (no excuses).  I am also glad that the ankle that had been bothering me since New York did not affect me in the least.

When running by the projector you can check your lap count

I completed the full in 4:11:13 placing 57 out of 117.  A pretty average run for me.  I do have to say, I enjoy a run in which you get to see the lead runners several times over (even cheer for them as the y pass you).  Usually they take off before you and never get to see them from the corral.  By the time you finish, they are long gone (awards and all).

I also enjoyed the volunteers, who handed you your water bottle on request and provided lap counts when asked.  Really an awesome bunch.     

It is a tad for from home, but I think the event is definitely a fan one to attempt again.  Two technical T-shirts and three medals also help.

A marathon runner at an Olympic facility wearing the
silver and gold medals earned for the event

Gold Medal Challenge - Part I

Currently I am spending my weekend in Wisconsin. I am participating in the Icebreaker's Gold Medal Challenge. This interesting event has a number of races held at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee.

Running around the ice skating ring at Pettit National Ice Center

In addition to a 5K which I just found out took place on Friday afternoon or evening, the key events are a half marathon held on Saturday and a Marathon held on Sunday morning. Those running the half get a bronze medal. Those running the full get a silver medal. And those running both races get a gold medal.


Of course I am trying for both. Otherwise I am not sure I would have endured the 5 hour drive to get here.

This morning I run the half. Because of the number of participants on the 1/2 marathon,they actually hold two races on Saturday. Mine started at 7:00 AM and I have to say I had a ball.

The course is the outer track on the ice skating arena, right outside the ice ring. A half a marathon requires 47 and 1/2 laps. The very center of the arena has two ice squares; one for hockey and one for free ice skating. Almost right from the start we got to see a group of kids playing hockey and another group of kids doing pirouettes. The speed skating ring had a Zamboni running around that brought some excitement to the run.

1/2 Marathon Bronze medal

The track is very nice. The inner area is used for fast runners, so with the exception of my time passing, I spent most of my time on the outside. A group of volunteers hand you your water bottle on request and take it at the next lap, about 2:20 min later. The race is chipped and a large LCD projector displays runners and their lap count. You can also ask for your count and get it on the next pass.

About an hour into the race, the Zamboni was done preparing the speed ice ring and a small number of speed skaters in Flash Gordon-like outfits took on the course for additional entertainment.

The time went fast. I completed the first race in 1:50:05 (8:25 min/miles), finishing 71 out of 111 runners in this wave. My overall place will be higher, since the organizers requested that the faster runners participate on the first wave (and had to finish in under 2 hours). Leaving the second wave for those that either didn't want to get up early or run slower. (Note: final tally placed me #80 or 222, certainly a better number.)

Because of the venue, the indoor wheater conditions were great for running. The temperature and humidity controlled environment helped not just keep the ice solid, but also the runners form overheating. In fact, after I finished I decided to stick around to see the second wave start from the bleachers. I didn't last long. Between my wet clothes and the frigid temperatures I left after they had done no more than 4 or 5 laps.

Breakfast at The Broken Yolk

Following a tradition of mine. I asked a volunteer for a local breakfast establishment and was directed to The Broken Yolk, a little whole in the wall/college type of place where you order at the counter and can get breakfast all day. For just $12 I got chocolate milk and a large plate containing three eggs, hash browns, sausage, toast and a side of bacon that had no less than 6 strips. Yeah... I was hungry.

Now I am back at my very cheap hotel room icing my ankle (which has been bothering me a tad since the New York Marathon last November) and watching the South Carolina primary on CNN making time until tomorrow's marathon. I will make sure to follow up with a post soon after the race.

New (Awesome) Homepage for Zoom! Yah! Yah!

Last year I run the prestigious Zoom! Yah! Yah! marathon in St Olaf's college in Northfield, MN.  A friend just forwarded to me a link to their ver awesome new homepage.  How about that handsome fellow right in the center of the page? 

I am still trying to get into the year's, but am still number 15 on the wait list on a race that takes a few over forty runners.  At this point it seems like a long shot, but my fingers are crossed.

Race Report: New York Marathon

Let me start by saying that there is no place like New York.  I have not traveled extensively, but I have certainly seen a good part of the world and New York holds a very special place in my heart.  Being selected to run the New York Marathon (after two lottery attempts) it was one of the highlights of my running life.  Of all the lotteries you can win, this may not be the preferred one, but it ain't bad either.

We arrived the Thursday before the Marathon with plenty of time to go to pick up the race package at the (very large) expo and take a couple of days to do some sightseeing before the race.

By far one of the highlights of the trip was the visit to Ellis Island.  A place that we never have visited before despite of our multiple trips to New York in the first few years of our marriage.  Ellis Island is a must visit location and I'd dare to say that renting the audio tour is also a must.  The stories of hope and despair told (often first person accounts of immigrants that came through Ellis Island) are nothing shorts of amazing.  

Also worth noting from our sobering visit was the 9/11 Memorial and our (accidental) and very brief visit to the Occupy Wall Street gang, both pictured below.

New 9/11 Memorial

Occupy Wall Street protester

And now let's get back to the business of the race report.  Let me tell you... this guys really know how to throw a party.  Getting there took some time, but I think that added to the excitement.  The 47,000 participants were broken into three or four waves.  I was part of the second one starting at 10:10 AM.  To get there I left the apartment at 6:45 AM and walked to the subway, took the subway for about 30 minutes to the Staten Island Ferry, where I boarded the Ferry for about 25 minutes and then took a bus to the starting "villages."

Runners walking into the Staten Island Ferry Terminal

These villages are very appropriately named given their significant size.  They have music, security and a contingent of UPS trucks taking the participant bags with clothes for after the race.  The mood was great.  Lots of smiles, people listening to music or simply laying in the sun waiting for their wave to start.  I didn't plan for such a long commute to get there, so I was rather late to drop my bag (at least based on the recommended time).  

The organizers did an awesome job setting things up.  There were port-potties everywhere (including inside the corrals).  I gave in to my nerves and visited three or four times before the start.  

John F Kennedy, the name of our ferry

When the time came to get started, I was trying really hard to play it cool.  I mean, my best runs are never races, but training runs.  So, as much as possible, I am trying to ignore everything around me.  Just think of it as another run close to home.  The last of wave one starts while we are still in the corral and we hear the national anthem being sang for them.  I am still cool.  Then it is our turn.  We get America the Beautiful and I am still cool.  As soon as the horn sounds and we start running, they blast New York, New York through the speakers.  And I could not possibly ignore that.  At that point I was running way to fast ad with a big smile on my face.  This was no training run.  Get used to it.  The theme repeated throughout the race.  So many cool sights that it was nearly impossible to ignore that I was running one of the coolest races of my life.   

At the ferry on the way to the start

We start crossing the bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn.  Since we are running on the lower deck, my GPS loses its satellite signal almost immediately.  I don't get it back until mile 10 (resulting in a strange route on the Garmin site).  I don't care much.  I can calculate my pace by looking at the watch at every mile marker.  I know I am going too fast, but I am having fun.  There will be plenty of time to regret it later.

Wave two corral, right before the start

The temperature on the lower deck of the bridge is a good 15 degrees cooler than on the streets.  I also noticed much lower temperatures in Manhattan than in Brooklyn and Queens.  I can't really say much for Staten Island and the Bronx since you leave the former immediately after the race starts and are in the latter for less than a mile.

A small portion of the 47,000 runners

Two and a half million people are lining the streets of the course and they are loud.  Several times during the race I have to stop my iPod because I can't hear anything coming from it anyway.  The running crowd is large, but never so bad that requires a lot of zig-zagging.  All and all it doe snot get in the ay of a good race.

I finish in 4:06:19.  As usual I would have liked to break four hours again, but am happy with this time.  I take with me a medal (not particularly pretty) and a few good memories including these:

• Along with the several bands playing Rock & Roll, I saw at least two groups of people playing bag pipes (very cool)
  
• Running the long Queensboro Bridge, again on the lower deck ;-( is tough.  This is almost at mile 16.  The temperature is cold under the bridge.  I am getting tired.  There are no people cheering on the bridge.  Seems lonely even among all these runners.  Then at the end of the bridge there are three signs: 1) If 10 miles to go seems easier... 2) Then welcome to easier 3) Welcome to Manhattan.  That puts a smile on my face.

• Manhattan really welcomes you.  From run on the empty, cold bridge, you appear on 1st Ave, which is packed, and I mean packed with people, three and four thick on the sides of the road.  They are loud too.  That gives me a second wind.
  
• Lots of police on the median while running through the six lane avenues in Brooklyn.  Several clapping, high-fiving and cheering, but all very attentive and visible on guard.
  
• Cool signs along the road including:
• Worst Parade Ever! (seen that one before, but it always makes me smile)
• You are the Sh*t! (far cooler when there are 15 or 20 people together holding these signs) 
• And my favorite, a guy holding large sign the read Way to Go Complete Stranger!
  
• As well organize as the race was, they made the very poor decision of having a picture wall right after the finish line.  They managed to get 47,000 people running without making it feel crowded until everybody wants to have their picture taken right afar the finish line.  Not very clever.
  
• And, by far, my favorite memory.  After crossing the finish line we are handed thermal blankets with the word Finisher on the back (still have mine).  Then we have to walk almost a mile (I checked it out on Google maps, it was exactly .9) to pick up our clothes.  The sun is out, but we are all a bit cold from the run.  We all walk in the same direction following the instructions of the organizers sitting on high chairs and talking into the megaphones (You guys are beautiful!  You guys made it!  Please keep moving, you are almost there!).  Some are limping, some are clearly in pain, but most are quietly walking and wondering how much longer it will be.  I took the picture below to remember that feeling forever.

Finishers walking to get their bags
Note the woman with the megaphone sitting on the high chair

Boom Boom Pow

Arriving at the 2010 People for Parks 5K and finding out the City of Lakes 25K was just finishing as the 5K was just getting started gave me an idea.  Would it be possible to run them both back to back?  I've always been a big fan of running bonus miles (extra miles run before or after a race).  Having two races back to back would make each race serve as each other's bonus miles.

Even better, the start of the first race was just shy of 7 miles from my home, so how about adding those miles to get some extra extra bonus miles for the day.  The tree strikes would be a running Boom Boom Pow worth writing about.  The mileage was not a concern, just shy of a full marathon.  I know it could be done.

I made the proposal to my friend Tim at the bottom of my race report from the 2010 5k run.  His response at the bottom of the blog was positive.  A running date set a year in advance.

With the races day approaching, I sent my emails out.  Included Scott too.  Unfortunately, Tim had had a bike accident a few months before, and while his bones were healed, he felt too out of shape.  Scott had a more pressing commitment to run one of his crazy long trail races.  I was left alone and alone I would run it.

The first leg was great.  Left at 6:30 AM to make it on time for the first race.  Completed 6.92 miles in 1:02:33. Just over 9 minute miles.  I had to force myself to slow down.  There were still too many miles to come.

30 minutes later the second leg started.  The 25K City of Lakes, started well, but the sun came up high in the sky and tok much of my energy.   I managed a finish in 2:29:46 or 9:33 minutes per mile.  My start was considerably faster, but my steam was definitely running out.

Another 30 minutes wait and I am joined by a few friends to run the 5k.  I feel I no longer have the desire to run again.  Even this 5k seems like a daunting task.  The sun is high and it feels pretty warm.  Birdie was to join us to cheer not to run (and of course for a burger afterwards).  I convince her to walk to 5k with me and take Sharon's place (who could not make it due to a cold).  So my third leg resulted in a personal record as the slowest 5K I ever run (walked, really).

With a finish of 52:43 and an average pace of 16:55 min/mile, it was a little Pow to follow the Boom, Boom.  But I got a kick out of it anyway. Walking with Birdie was fun and I got to wear two race bibs from the two races.  Thanks go to Birdie for giving me the support I needed to complete the third leg of the day.  Those bonus miles are dedicated to her.

The fastest 1,000 miles (to date)

Tanks to my consistent training schedule and crammed race calendar (and of course my obsessive behavior) I have reached a new milestone: 5,000 miles since I started running. That;s almost the distance from Minneapolis to Japan (as the Boeing flies).

What's more, this is the least amount of time that has taken me to reach another thousand miles, as shown below: 

Milestone	Days to reach
1,000	567
2,000	434
3,000	357
4,000	300
5,000	281

I knew there was a good chance I'd shave a few more days to this last thousand, since my consistency (stubbornness) was still being refined.  I am not sure I can (not sure that I want) get the next thousand in any less than 281 days.  It will be fun to see what happens, though.

An Interesting Week

It was a very interesting week indeed.  Just a few hours after establishing a PR on a 13.1 mile training run, I haver chest pains and shortness of breath and ended up at the ER.  Seven hours later and after many tests completed in between episodes of being almost completely unable to breath, I am diagnosed with pericarditis, a swelling and irritation of the thin sac-like membrane that surrounds your heart caused by a viral infection.

The good news is that as a viral infection it just needs to run its course in one or two weeks.  The bad news is that I have the Team Ortho Monster Dash 1/2 marathon in just 6 days and the New York Marathon a week after that.  The former is the fifth of five events I have signed up with Team Ortho for the year and one in which I have been engaged in no small amount of trash talk with another runner, who we will call Daniel, and to which I can't possibly not show up.  The later is well, the New York City Marathon.

During my time at the ER, I had a chance to be fed, and this being a blog about food and running I thought I should give them an appropriate review.  With a co-pay of $100 for the ER, I thought the price of the meal was pretty stiff.  More so given the quality and lack of choices.

The appetizer of ice chips lacked flavor and was the only item served for several hours.  The only other item served as hors d'oeuvres was pasty like syrup that tasted like medicine, since it was.  These are probably planned to make anything following it like heaven.

The main course was a turkey sandwich on wheat (no chips other than ice chips) although it was served with a nice cold carton of 1% milk, a suggestion of the sommelier/nurse.  The bread was fresh and the turkey moist.  If the mayo and mustard were home-made, it must have taken them quite a long time in the kitchen to put them into the little pouches.  This must be the reason why it took so long to bring the sandwich.

Dessert was a vanilla pudding served in a plastic cup that took a lot of work to open, more so given their insistence on me wearing an oxymeter on my index finger at all times (perhaps a hidden camera strength test?)  Again, after seven hours waiting, it tastes pretty good.  Still, I would definitely advice against visiting this establishment at all cost.  While the service was excellent (particular kudos to nurse Bridget who waited on us), it was rather slow.

Anyway, I leave the ER still with some shortness of breath.  It was interesting that instead of mints, they give you Ibuprofen that you have to take for a whole week.  I did and it did nothing for my breath.

Six days later, my doctor clears me to run the Monster Dash on Saturday.  I am wearing a mast created by artist extraordinaire Mat Ollig, which surprisingly neither bothers me during the run nor affects my performance.  I give it all my might and it pays off.  While my official time is yet to post (interference thanks to my insistence on running wearing chips from all the Team Ortho races for the 2011 series).  I finish 13.1 in record time for a 1/2 marathon race.  My final time is 1:42:53 (7:47 min/mile).  Most important, 15 seconds ahead of my trash talking buddy (a good 15 years my junior).  Then again my time is not yet official, so the tables could soon turn.

The race was indeed terrific.  The course was changed just a few weeks before the race and moved from Minneapolis to St Paul.  The new course was all downhill (I believe they said 400 foot drop) and vey fast.  Notice the green line on the elevation chart below.  It was also very well organized with lost of entertainment (including the costumes worn by the runners) and with excellent weather.

 
This race also served as a retirement run.  I retire my shoes after 400 miles and my pair of Saucony Hurricane after 71 runs had reached that milestone (pun absolutely intended).  They were good shoes and accompanied me for four of the five Team Ortho races.  May they rest in peace.

To top it all, we followed the race with breakfast at Elsie's, a bowling alley that has become a post race tradition of ours.  Their breakfast is traditional American, but perfectly executed.  I opted for the off-the-menu Eggs Benedict with sausage patties instead of Canadian bacon (as if that was really bacon).  This breakfast has proved to replenish all the carbs and calories lost during any distance run.

So an interesting week indeed.  Now another week of tapering before the New York Marathon.  Hoping for less excitement there.  I leave you with some of the costumes we saw at the race.  Not even the best ones, but a fair sample I was able to capture at the finish line as we were waiting for our friends to join us.

Three devil girls who agreed to post with me

The drag while running with this must have been incredible

One of my favorites

Of course I had to capture this one.  Was her name Siri?

Out

Out of breath from a recent cold I haven't quite shaken off
Out of shape from not having run for a week
Out of time having spent half my morning on the net and having all kinds of thing to do
Out of my mind, since I have a 1/2 marathon in a week and the NY Marathon in two and I should be tapering
Out of excuses...
Out the door because I am a runner

And the result paid off with a nice PR.  13.1 miles in 1:40:43 (7:41 min/mile).  Nope, this wash;t a 1/2 marathon just a 12 mile training run that I thought I'd stretch to 13.1 for the fun of it.  And boy am I glad I did.

2011 Big Woods Run - Race Report

Yesterday was race day at Fairbault, MN.  The event is the Big Woods Run 1/2 Marathon.  This is a trail race that starts on a road (about 1.5 miles), then moves to flat trails and around mile 4 or 5, starts a hilly terrain.  Not quite what I saw at the Afton Trail Run in 2011 (which that year because of the MN State shutdown had to be moved from a State Park to a ski park and had brutal hills), but certainly hilly.

The day was windy and cold at the start, but the sun was up and as soon as you got in the woods, the wind was barely noticeable and the temperature seem to raise a bit (probably the running).  The route is full of turns, and it is a beautiful trail, but my eyes were kept right on the ground.  More so after seeing two of the runners kiss the floor after tripping on a root.



I also enjoyed the fact that the first 1.5 miles (and thus the last) are on the road.  This allows you (if you have the energy at the end, and I did) to pick a few runners and pass them on the final stretch.  That forces me to pick it up and push through on the last mile.

This is a terrific run, fun, not too big (about 300 people) and well organized.  I do have, hover a major complaint.  While the race is a ChampionChip Timed, it appears they only use the chip for the crossing of the finish line and not the start.  As a result, if you are towards the back of the pack when you cross the start line, you get a few seconds added from the time the gun goes off (or a siren in this case), to the time you finally cross the start run and start running.  Since we were all the way in the back, for us it was about 50 to 55 seconds.

I confirmed this using both my GPS and Mike's watch.  His was 55 seconds off and mine was 50.  Here is a link to my results.  You may notice that the start and end do not coincide.  But that's because I could not get a satellite signal on time to get a position with the GPS.  That, however, doe snot affect the time, since it does not need a satellite to know the time.

So my official (incorrect) final time is 1:54:05, but my actual (correct) time as measured by my GPS is 1:53:16.  This small difference is important because my time last year was 1:53:33, so with my time this year was 17 seconds faster.

All and all it was a very nice race.  After the race we opted to stay for the soup, bread and cookies which warmed my belly and felt great.  I honestly only signed up this year because Mike suggested it.  And while the town where it is hold is a tad far (just over an hour south of the cities), I think it is worth the drive.  I would definitely do it again next year and perhaps try to shave another 17 seconds :-)  

2011 TCM mini-report

Just finished my 5th Twin Cities Marathon (15th overall) with an official chip time of 4:09:01.  Very much within my range lately.  I was very happy with the time.  While the weather was not too warm the sun was out for nearly the entire race and that tends to slow me down.  It does not seem it had much effect this time around.

I set my Garmin's virtual partner to a 9:00 min/mile pace and expected to fall behind not to late after the 1/2.  Instead I was able to stay ahead of that pace until mile 21.  Very much a surprise.  Then the Summit hill, the sun and overall exertion took over and I slowed down consideranly breaking into more than a few mini walks.  The overall pace was 9:30.  Again, I am happy overall.

Thanks go to Tim and Joy who gave me encouragement twice during the race (I am sure than more than that, I just didn't see them) and to Hugh and Mary, who were at the Franklin bridge (mile 19) and took the picture below.

Gold Medal Challenge

Well, I didn't make it this year to the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Marathon.  This is the very fun and very fast indoor Marathon that is held at St Olaf College in Northfield, MN.  There are only 44 spots and a lottery is used to draw up runners.  Not only I didn't make it, but I got spot 20 of 21 runners in the wait list.  Pretty much no chance of running it this year.  Pitty...

My friend Scott was trying to convince me to run the Sandbox Indoor Trail Marathon on February 13.  I am just not sure that it will be held...  Their website is still showing data for last year and the race director did not reply to my email regarding next year registration.

So looking for alternatives I stunbled across the Gold Medal Challenge.  This event included a 1/2 marathon on Saturday followed by a full marathon on Sunday (Jan 21-22).  Both are held at the  Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee.  Seems like a good replacement for Zoom! Yah! Yah!

It will also be good training in preparation for the Milano City Marathon in Milan, Italy, for which I already signed up and around which Sharon and I will be building our vacation next year.

I was disappointed about not making the list for the Zoom! Yah! Yah!, but it seems are already looking up!

50x50

Do I dare to post a long term running goal online?  Once it is out it seems I am on the hook to try to make it...  OK, here it goes.  My goal is to complete 50 marathons by the age of 50.  I don't need to do it by the time my birthday comes, but I must have 50 under my belt, before the year of that birthday is up.

I have 14 so far (plus another two planned for 2011) and am turning 43 this year.  That means I will need to run 5 marathons a year for the next 7 years and not miss more than one.

Can I do it?  Well, with the two remaining I will complete 5 in 2011 and did 5 in 2008 and 4 in 2010.  I did just two in 2009 because I started branching into triathlons (it didn't take), but now that I am set on just doing marathons I think I can keep up with that goal as long as my body holds up.

80+ & 80+

Minneapolis is steaming and that has given me the opportunity to do some 80+ & 80+ runs.  That is, runs at over 80 degrees and 80% humidity.  Surprisingly I have been enjoying it.  True, my runs have been at 5 AM and in some cases, like last Sunday when I had to run a 20 miler, I left at 4 AM to put as many miles behind me as I could before the sun came up.

By the time I finish, I am usually drenched in sweat (I usually don;t even sweat that much) and have the steamy feeling of a sauna a I stretch next to home.  I almost understand those who like running summer marathons.

Then I remember the sun.  I can take the 80+ & 80+ as long as the sun is not there.  It may be the vampire in me, but the sun seems to draw away a lot of energy.

A Good, Good Runs4Food Weekend

By all Runs4Food standards this was a very good weekend.  And it is just Sunday morning.

Saturday morning I drove to Waverly, MN to run the Waverly Daze 10k.  This was a fun event.  At the same time the organizers were holding a 5k and a 10 k, which were supposed to have different routes, but in the very last minute (no more than 10 minutes before the start, the local police felt uncomfortable about road safety on the 10k route and the race director rerouted the 10k to follow the same route of the 5k, only done twice.

It is bound to happen...  if you get into smaller and smaller races you will end up placing.  I finished my 10k at a (blazing?) pace of 7:43 min/mile and places first of my age group and second overall.  It is true that there were only 9 runners for the 10k, but still, I was thrilled.  More so when I saw that the top finishers of every category would get a engraved medal (at right).   I was just 2 minutes behind the lead, who got also a plaque.

Following the race we went to Kim and Birdie's house for a Sausage Extravaganza breakfast.  A tasty egg bake, lots of fresh fruit and three different kind of sausage, one of them made by them (the large potato sausage on its own plate in the picture below.  Also attending the run and the breakfast was Sarah (pictured), Kim and Birdie's daughter who also got first spot on her age group.

Breakfast was terrific and I got to make friends with Sarah's 3 year old Lucy, who was very sweet and beautiful and invited me to dance with her after breakfast.   It was just noon on Saturday, and having a good run and a great meal it would have been sufficient to call it a good Runs4Food weekend.  Still, this was just the beginning.

That night we were invited to go to have dinner with our friends John and Clark.  They had a reservation at Porterhouse, a steak and seafood restaurant in Little Canada, a suburb just north Minneapolis.  I have said several times in this blog I am not much of a meat eater, particularly beef, but very occasionally enjoy a ribeye.  I ordered a medium-rare blackened ribeye with melted bleu cheese and portabella mushrooms.  It was terrific.  Really, really good.  I ate just half of it since we had appetizers and a salad prior to the entree and I had a big training run the next day.  Certainly better than Many's and at a better price.

The following morning, I had a 18 mile run.  Between dinner and a night cap with John, Clark, Mine and Anita, we end up going to bet at nearly midnight.  The weather was going to be hot in the morning, so I was planning on waking up early, very early, and avoid as much as the sun as possible.  I manage to get up a few minutes before 4:00 AM (that wasn't easy) and I am out taking my first running steps by 4:15.

Immediately my hands are sticky.  Nope, it is not the Gu or the gatorade I am carrying.  It is the very high humidity.  Still I manage to keep a good pace just over nine minute/miles.  With a 20% chance of rain and 74 degrees, I was somewhat confident I'd get a dry run.  I see lightings in the distance, but I think I will be OK.

As soon as I hit mile 5, starts sprinkling and by mile 8, it is pouring down.  It feels GREAT.  Very cleansing, cooling and I pick up my speed.  It rains off an on until almost the end of my run (another 10 miles).  Every time the rains picks up, so does my speed.  I finish my run in 2:40:41 or 8:55 min/mile.  I am very happy with that time.  I would have been happy with an average of 9:30 min/miles, so 35 seconds faster is pretty awesome.

So how can I top this weekend?  Well, after a trip to Coastal Seafoods to get some fresh fish and mollusks, I think we are going to attempt a Fideuà, a dish very similar to a seafood paella, but made with pasta instead of rice and having more broth at the end, almost like a very hearty soup.

We'll see how that turns up, but given how well the weekend has turned out some far, my hopes are very high.

ATR 25K: A different kind of race, a very humbling one too

The state of MN shutdown affected me in a way I didn't expect.  Yesterday I run the Afton Trail Run 25 KM race.  This race was to be held at the Afton State Park, which since it closed, it was moved across the street to the Afton Alps, a skiing and snowboarding park (i.e. a very hilly course).  Of course the original course was very hilly as well, but I think this move made it even worse.

Green line is elevation, blue is pace

This was a very tough run.  I am really starting to enjoy trail runs.  I am also finding that those running them are a different kind of runner.  A little more hard core.  My placement will tell you that.  On my last 1/2 marathon, I placed on the top 25% of runners.  On this, I was trailing at about 60%.

To top it all, it was a hot day.  Full sun from 7:00 AM and a high of 85 (by the time I finished the temperature had not quite reached there, but it must have been in the high 70's).  The course followed trails running up and down the same hill (see player).  The altitude chart above (one of the two loops) does not make justice to the very, very steep trails both up and down.

That afternoon Sharon and I were co-hosting a party at home featuring cuban sandwiches and I was in charged of roasting a pork shoulder.  I meticulously made a schedule to have the pork cooking while I was running and make sure I'd be back before it was done.  To that effect, I asked Sharon to turn the oven on at 8:30 AM (everything was inside and ready).  Five miles into the race I knew that pork was in trouble.  That early into the race I was already 30 minutes behind my projected pace.  I don;t usually get more than 10 or 15 minutes behind my projections on a full marathon an in just 5 miles I was behind 30 minutes!

Worried about having dry sandwiches added some stress.  Luckily a good samaritan loaned me her phone at the aid station at the end of the first loop and I was able to give Sharon instructions in the likely event that my pace didn't improve remarkably (au contraire, it turned out).

My final time was 3:29:15 or 13:39 per mile.  Towards the end of my second lap I was passed by Patrick Russell, who completed three laps in the time I did two and that was after he had already completed a lap (the 50 KM run he had signed for started an hour earlier and required 4 laps).  He managed a 4:30 finish (8:43 per mile), which in that terrain is outstanding.

Team Ortho Minneapolis 1/2 Marathon

Man, was I happy on sticking with my decision not to run a full marathon again on a summer day.  I made that decision a year ago after having a miserable run at the Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon.  In fact, at the time, the decision had been never to run another marathon.  However, once the fog left my head (or perhaps came back) the decision was modified to never run another summer marathon.

So this year I did the half and truly enjoyed it.  Not only that, but I did fairly well not quite hitting a PR, but getting a second or third best on that distance finishing in 1:49:56 (route).  What's more, I was in the 86 percentile.  This is huge for me, used to finishing just above the 50 percentile in my age group.

Kudos go to Team Ortho.  By far the best organizers of races in the Twin Cities with the best gear.  Clearly practice makes perfect.  These guys are busy...

Running right in front of the Phoenix on Main Street

My new iPhone wallpaper

It sort of helps me feel fast ;-)

Dog Day 5K with Bogey

Bogey and I trotted to a new PR on our annual 5K on the Dog Day 5K beating our time from last year by a full 8 seconds per mile.  It is true that there was only one water bowl this year and as a result we did not have to stop twice to drink.  That alone probably saved us a good ten seconds.  Anyway, a PR is a PR.  Our time was 25:21, which given the distractions on the road ain't bad...